The Circus Tent Grave Marker: Mass Grave of Circus Train Wreck Victims. On November 22, 1915, tragedy struck 6.5 miles east of Columbus when the Con. T. Kennedy circus train collided head-on with a passenger train. While the metal passenger cars held firm, the wooden circus cars crumpled, caught fire, and tragically claimed the lives of most of the animals and 15-24 circus workers. This unique tombstone, shaped like a tent, stands as a haunting memorial over mixed ashes from the wreck. A strange